Eternal Betrayal Extended
by shadowalchemist198
Summary: A rewrite of Eternal Betrayal. A few more scenes and an alternate ending. Some were written due to reviews. See the original to get summary.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own GW at all. Wish I did, but I don't.

Chapter 1

Battle on L2

July 17th, AC 198

Duo stood in the artificial light of L2-RD12. His long brown braid drifted in the false breeze. He loved life on the colonies, despite protests by other people.

"So this is where you've been hiding, Duo."

The braided teen turned to the voice. "Hilde, I didn't expect you here for another week."

The young woman laughed. "Well, I decided to come early. I got a little excited when you called. You don't mind, do you?"

Duo eagerly shook his head. "Of course not!! I just haven't finished the programming for the _Eternity_ yet or else I would've taken you out for a test run."

"I'll be around for a while, Duo."

"That's true."

----------

Duo pressed the enter key one last time. "There. Done." He leaned back in his chair.

Hilde smiled. "That's good to hear."

Duo looked at her and grinned. "The _Eternity_ is officially functional."

----------

"We have arrived at L2-RD12. Permission to follow Operation: Trinity?"

"Permission granted, Lieutenant. All I want is Maxwell. I don't care about what happens to the other colonists. Kill them to keep them quiet. I don't want news getting out about the project."

"…Understood."

----------

The explosion shook the entire colony. Duo and Hilde each grabbed onto one of the railings leading off of the _Eternity_. "What the hell's going on?!" Duo yelled to a nearby engineer.

The man looked at the braided teen. "I don't know, sir!"

"An attack maybe?" Hilde suggested.

"Evacuate the civilians. It has to be _her_," Duo said. The engineer nodded and ran off. Hilde looked at Duo.

"Duo?"

The braided teen didn't look at her as he turned to walked down one of the underground passages. He heard Hilde running after him. Sounds of people screaming and dying echoed down the tunnel. He frowned. "If only this didn't happen now…"

----------

The soldiers spread out, killing anyone who got in their way. Men, women, and children fell in a fountain of crimson blood. Already half of the colony was stained red with blood. The lieutenant felt nothing for the people his men were massacring. They were failures of a project that could only create monsters, and monsters deserved to be destroyed without mercy.

"Head towards the other port. They've got to be there. Kill everyone in the way."

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers ran faster towards the far end of the colony.

----------

Duo helped the civilians through the underground passages. Already a quarter of the colony's population of 12,000 had been evacuated onto the _Eternity_ and her two sister ships, the _Serenity_ and the _Destiny_. The three ships were as large as small colonies, and they could easily hold twice the maximum population of L2-RD12. Since the _Eternity_'s navigation and flight programming was complete, all three ships were operational. "Come on! Just a little further!"

The civilians nodded. They made the rest of the trip safely. However, they found the hanger of the _Eternity_ under attack. Duo immediately took control of the defenders. "Protect the civilians at all costs! Once they're all safely on the _Eternity_, retreat!"

"Yes, sir!"

"All civilians are to board the _Eternity_ immediately!" Duo yelled as he grabbed a gun from a guard and opened fire on the soldiers. The attackers dove for cover. "Hurry up!!"

The evacuation proceeded quickly enough, and the defenders retreated into the ships. Duo ran to the bridge. He wrapped a bandage around his arm where a stray bullet had ripped through his skin. The three ships had already been started. He could see the invaders rushing to close the doors, but Duo had disabled the system before getting on the _Eternity_. "All hands, prepare for a Jump once we clear the colony." He watched the pilot ease the ship out of the hanger and away from the colony. "Input coordinates for the Jump." He turned on the intership communications. "You okay, Hilde?"

"I'm fine."

"Sanji will take good care of you, I'm sure. Can you insert the right coordinates?"

"Yeah."

"I'm counting on you not to drop those people into danger."

"Okay."

"Coordinates correctly entered, sir!" one of the sub-pilots said.

"L2-RD12 has been cleared. Jump engines ready."

"Alright! Let's do this." Duo pressed the master switch for the Jump. Earth flashed for just a second, and then the exiled colonists were looking at Mars. The crew cheered excitedly. They had reached safety. "Establish a stable orbit. I think this is cause for celebration."

----------

July 25th, AC 198

The four ex-pilots sat in the large office. "The colony's been abandoned by the terrorists," a soldier said. "Massacred a lot of the civilians and left in a weird ship."

"A research and development colony like this should have hundreds of security cameras," Trowa said. "Do you have any pictures of the terrorists?"

"Yes, sir. Only a couple was working at the time, however. But…" the man trailed off.

"But what?" Quatre asked.

The man reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a folder. He handed it to Heero. "I'm not sure you'll like who's in the pictures."

Heero scanned each image captured by the cameras. He filed each face in his mind. He turned the page.

And froze.

"Duo?"

The other pilots turned towards him. Sure enough, the braided brunette stood in the center of a hanger, firing a gun.

"Not Duo!" Quatre cried, grabbing the pictures from Heero's stunned hands. "He wouldn't do this. He…We worked too hard for this peace! Why?! Why was he here?! He could have called us." The blond heir buried his face in Trowa's coat.

"Dammit, Maxwell, What the hell are you doing?" Wufei muttered.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own GW at all. Wish I did, but I don't.

Chapter 2

Return of the Eternity

December 12th, AC 201

"Receiving a transmission from Earth, sir."

Duo looked up from his bent position over the radar station. "Earth, huh? Put it on the speaker."

The sub-pilot pressed a button. The transmission was immediately rerouted to the speaker system. "This is Relena Peacecraft. The ESUN would like to speak with the captain of the battleship that escaped from L2-RD12 three years ago. Please accept our invitation." The message ended.

The crew exchanged cautious looks. None of the people on the _Eternity_ were willing to trust the government. Duo grinned slightly. "Should we?"

"It's your decision, sir."

"Alright. Let's prepare to Jump."

---------

Heero walked into Relena's office. He couldn't believe that the ESUN was ready to open negotiations with the L2 terrorists. No answer had been given to the request, and some of the representatives didn't expect one. "Relena."

The young woman looked up. In the past five years since the Mariemeia Incident, the naïve girl had developed into a strong leader of the people and an even finer woman. Something had changed in Relena though, and it caused Heero to unconsciously raise his defenses. "Heero? I didn't expect you to be here so soon."

"I want you to allow me to speak with Duo personally. I want to know why he did what he did."

"Oh? Of course."

The door opened, and an assistant walked in. "Ma'am. We have received word from the… _Eternity_. They will be arriving here from Mars orbit in the hour."

"What? You can't get from Mars to Earth in an _hour_!" Relena yelled. "This must be a joke!"

Another assistant ran in. "Ma'am, the _Eternity_ has just appeared in Earth orbit. It came out of no where! A shuttle has already been sent down."

"They sure don't waste time, do they?" Relena said. "Be sure to escort them here immediately." She turned towards Heero. "You will have your meeting."

---------

Duo stepped off of the shuttle. He took a deep breath of fresh air. Even with Sanctuary's advanced technology, nothing could compare to the air on Earth especially in the winter. "It's truly amazing that we could return to Earth after three years, isn't it, sir?" Sanji said calmly.

"…Yeah." Duo said. He pulled his coat closer to his body. "I'm glad, though, for the new fibers that the _Serenity_ has produced. They are very warm and light. Would have been useful during the war." He ignored the looks of the ESUN representatives. Sanctuary had developed a fashion all its own, and Duo was proud of the colony's independence.

"It is our pleasure, sir," Ran said. She grinned slightly.

"We welcome you back to Earth," an official said. Duo glanced at him. "I'm to take you to Prime Minister Peacecraft immediately." The three captains exchanged looks at the mention of Relena's new rank.

"Of course."

---------

Duo froze. His violet eyes watched the chocolate-haired young man. "Heero," he breathed. He saw the other two captains pause ahead of him. Duo motioned for them to go on. Ran frowned, but Sanji pulled her away. They argued quietly before Ran gave up and followed the other captain. Duo turned his full attention to Heero.

"Duo…" Heero took a step forward. "I want to know why?"

"Why?" Duo knew that, unarmed and unused to the slightly heavier gravity of Earth, he had little chance of beating the Japanese man in even hand-to-hand combat. He held up his hands in resignation. Heero glared at him.

"Why did you rebel against the ESUN?"

Duo flinched. "I never went against the ESUN."

"Then why did I see you with a gun on L2-RD12? It was the first time any of us knew you were still alive after you disappeared!" Duo couldn't control the urge to snap back to defend himself. "That's pretty damning evidence, Duo Maxwell!"

"We were under attack!!! Would you rather I had allowed almost 5,000 people die?!"

"Attack? Those soldiers were breaking up a rebellion you started! What makes you think otherwise?!"

"It was-!"

"It's good to see you again, Duo Maxwell." Both pilots turned to the voice.

"Relena? What are you doing here?" Heero asked. He wanted her to leave; his meeting wasn't over.

Relena smiled. Duo's instincts told him to run and never look back. He fought down the almost senseless fear. "I just wanted to speak to Duo." The young woman looked towards the exiled captain. "In private."

Heero glanced at Duo. "Don't worry, Heero. I'll be fine." Heero turned and left. The two enemies waited until the Japanese man turned the corner before they began their discussion.

Duo looked at Relena. "It's been a while, Relena. Almost four years, hasn't it? Last time I saw you was the conference at the HOLIC colonies."

"Yes, I remember."

Duo grinned. "Do you also remember what I told you?"

Relena frowned. "No, I don't."

"The worst kind of monsters are those who come in the guise of kindness." Duo laughed. "Just. Like. You." Relena frowned. Her hand snapped out, striking Duo viciously across the face. The braided captain barely flinched. "And here I thought you were a pacifist. I guess even that was just a cover."

"Do NOT question my power, Maxwell! You're just an exiled captain, and I'm one of the top leaders of the ESUN!" she screamed at him.

Duo smirked. "I guess they're right when they say power corrupts. You may have been able to fool Heero and the others, but I won't be convinced."

Relena's frown deepened. "You should know your place, Maxwell. In five, ten years, no one will remember you. You will die in history, and I shall only continue to grow." Her eyes took on a dangerous glint. "The doctor is anxiously waiting for you to come back. I don't expect you to disappoint him for very much longer. He's shown surprising patience these past three years."

"One day, Relena, no one will be around to save you, and when that happens, I'll be there to send your soul straight to where it belongs. In Hell." Duo walked around the woman down the hall. He heard Relena spin around.

"Duo! You can't escape from my grip! I'll hunt you down."

"You forget, Relena. I already have."

---------

The braided captain laid down on the large bed. He knew that Relena had had the suite remodeled and cameras and microphones hidden everywhere, but he didn't care about that at all. He was tired from his confrontations with both Heero and Relena earlier in the evening. He knew that both Sanji and Ran had been placed in separate rooms scattered throughout the base.

He coughed slightly. The other captains had given him strange looks the first time he had been incapacitated by a coughing fit. He knew he wasn't feeling very good, but Duo refused to lose Sanctuary's one chance to get accepted by the ESUN. He would work to the best of his abilities, even at the cost of his own physical health.

----------

"Duo!" The braided captain stopped walking. He turned towards the voice.

"Quatre?" he said cautiously. The two exile guards moved between their leader and the blonde. "Stand down!" The guards looked at each other and obeyed his order.

Quatre closed the space between them. "Duo, I heard about your talk with Heero. Is it true?"

Duo grinned. "You know I don't lie, Quatre."

The blonde blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"It's alright." Duo laughed.

Quatre looked up at Duo. In three years, the braided captain had grown taller than Quatre. Duo grinned.

Suddenly, Duo's head snapped up. "Get down!" he yelled. He and the two guards pushed Quatre to the ground. Bullets ricocheted off the walls. "Dammit all! I knew this was a mistake! Contact the shuttle! We're leaving!" One of the guards quickly obeyed his orders. "Quatre, sorry to bother you like this, but you've got to come with us." He pulled the small blonde to his feet and ran down the hall.

"Duo! Wait!"

The braided captain ran into a hard body of flesh. He fell back. He looked up and paled. "H-Heero? Trowa? Wufei? What are you doing here?"

Wufei scowled. "We came to talk to you about L2-RD12, but apparently you're leaving," he growled.

Duo got up. "I can't talk much." He pushed past the Chinese man. Wufei grabbed his wrist. "Let go of me, Wufei."

"You're still a wanted man, Maxwell. As a Preventor, I can't let you leave."

Duo moved so fast, even Trowa had trouble keeping track of him. He pulled Wufei forward and slammed a fist into his stomach. Wufei gasped as he lost his breath. "Don't fuck with me, Wufei." The stunned Chinese man released the braided exile. "Batou, grab Wufei." Duo grabbed Wufei's gun, pointing it at the other two dangerous pilots. "And the rest of them will come along peacefully." The other three pilots froze, staring at their friend. Duo smirked dangerously.

---------

Duo led the 'prisoners' onto the large shuttle. The other two captains were already there. "Ready to leave, sir," Ran said calmly. Duo helped secure his friends before he sat down in the pilot's seat.

"Are the Jump coordinates in?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. We'll Jump once we clear the ground."

Duo eased the shuttle off of the ground. "Ten yards to Jump clearance," Sanji said. Duo nodded. The shuttle lifted up higher. "Jump clearance obtained."

"Start the Jump."

"Yes, sir."

The clouds glowed brightly, and when the light faded, the 'prisoners' were surprised to find themselves in space. "What?" Wufei said in disbelief. "How the hell did we get to space?"

"We Jumped. Now shut up, Wufei," Duo snapped. He focused on contacting the _Eternity_. "This is Duo Maxwell contacting the _Eternity_. Please respond."

"Welcome back, Duo," Hilde said. "Hanger 4 is ready to bring you back aboard."

"Prepare to Jump back to Sanctuary."

"…Yes, sir."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing is not mine, as much as I wish it was….

Chapter 3

Exile's Sanctuary

Duo watched the lone colony grow larger and larger as the _Eternity_ approached it. "We're finally home, people," he announced over the PA system. The crew cheered. "Prepare to leave the _Eternity_." He turned and walked out of the bridge. He walked through the somewhat packed halls towards the "prison cell" in the rear of the ship. He motioned the guards away and opened the door. "How is everyone?" he asked a bit too cheerfully.

Heero and Trowa glared at the braided teen. Wufei gave a perfect I'm-going-to-kill-you-very-very-very-slowly look as he nursed his sore stomach. Quatre smiled sweetly; Duo made sure to watch the Arabian blonde carefully. "Where did you take us, Duo?" Trowa asked calmly.

"To Sanctuary. My colony."

Wufei snorted. "_Your_ colony? Don't make me laugh, Maxwell."

Duo grinned. "It really isn't mine. More like a universally owned colony. Abandoned in space by its former owners. We just made it habitable again." He sighed. "But I'm sort of like the leader here on Sanctuary. And you all," he pointed to each of his very pissed off friends, "are my guests!"

"Why would we _want_to join terrorists?" Wufei demanded.

Duo strode over to the Chinese man. He grabbed the Preventor by the front of his shirt and lifted him into the air. "Because one of that bitch's fucking little lies is that we're terrorists!" he yelled angrily. "We are innocent people who've had too much shit thrown our way to care anymore! All we want is a little peace and quiet! Now, you'll all come with me peacefully, or I'll throw each of you out the airlock myself! Now, shut up and follow me!" He released Wufei and stalked out of the room. The four pilots glanced at each other. They quickly got up and followed their friend.

---------

The five pilots waited with the rest of the crew as the airlock slowly opened. A rush of air went past into the colony. Duo heard Quatre gasp as the interior of the colony came into view. "It's…beautiful…" the blonde said. The crew walked out onto the soft grass. Friends and family members ran up to them. Duo led his friends towards the trees. "How did you do this?"

"L2-RD12 had samples of trees and other plants. The _Destiny_ was actually supposed to help terraform Mars, but it was deemed unsafe for the project. Of course without them…" Duo trailed off. The braided captain looked around. His face lit up. "Sanji! Ran! Over here!" Two other people came over. "Everyone, these are Sanji and Ran. I think most people on the colony know who you all are."

"It's a pleasure to meet the Gundam pilots," Ran said. She had dark blond hair and electric blue eyes. She was slightly smaller than Duo. "We have heard a lot about you, and the children will be excited to meet you all." She turned to Duo. "I'm afraid we must be off. The _Serenity_ just made a development and I need to make sure it's safe before we release it into the colony. Sanji has an important meeting to go to on the _Destiny_ that he can't be late for."

"Then I won't keep either of you. Will you be at dinner?" The woman nodded. She walked off, followed closely by Sanji. Duo shook his head. "Oh, my… I just realized I have to go meet with the leaders of the guard, but it shouldn't take long… I think Hilde will be able to take you to my house…"

---------

"How long have you been here, Hilde?" Quatre asked quietly. The woman looked at him.

"Since the attack on L2. It was sort of forced, but I'm glad I came here," she said, smiling.

"Why?" The pair turned towards Heero.

"Once you live here for even a day, you learn that not all of the government's declarations are correct." She noticed the looks on their faces. "These people are not terrorists or even rebels, Heero. All they want is to live in the peace they've made for themselves, especially after what happened to them. But never mind about that. Here we are."

Duo's house was an average, two-story house on the outside. Hilde opened the door calmly to reveal a disaster area inside. Books were piled nearly seven feet into the air, and papers with strange writing were taped to the wall and scattered on the ground. "Oh my… I guess Duo's been working late again," Hilde muttered. She calmly walked into the front entryway. "Well, make yourselves at home. I'm sure there's a chair or something hidden around here somewhere…"

The four pilots walked into the room. Each tried to safely navigate through the mess, but papers and books were inevitably stepped on and crushed. Wufei frowned at the floor. The group managed to make it to the kitchen. It was only slightly cleaner than the living room, but at least they could find chairs to sit on. "What does Duo do here?" Quatre asked.

Hilde walked over to the counter. "He's the leader of the colony, and he programmed the Jump system on all three ships. He also helps maintain the Angel systems. Duo tends to read a lot obviously, and helps out in some of the other systems on Sanctuary. You should really ask him when he gets back."

---------

Duo quietly opened the door to the messy house. He was exhausted from the meetings he'd been forced to attend, especially the one about his friends. He'd missed lunch and dinner, and by now, everyone was asleep. He climbed the stairs and walked down the hall towards his room. He closed the door behind him. He allowed himself to slide down the wood so he was sitting on the ground. He pulled his legs up to his chest. His head fell forward, resting on the top of his bent knees. "This is for the best," he muttered to himself, coughing silently. "She can't harm them here…"

---------

"Duo? Is everything alright?"

Quatre opened the door. "Hilde? Is something wrong?"

The woman turned towards the blonde. "Duo won't open his door, and it's locked. Maybe Heero or Trowa can open it."

"I'll go ask them."

A few minutes later, Trowa successfully picked the door's lock and pushed the door open. The bedroom was surprisingly clean. Sunlight filtered in through the window and landed on the sleeping captain, giving him the appearance of an angel who had fallen from heaven. He was stretched on his back over clean blue-violet sheets. His right hand rested on his chest, and his left leg was bent at the knee, and his foot touched his right knee. He wore a dark t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. His chestnut brown hair had been freed from the constricting braid. Pale skin glowed in the artificial sunlight. "We should let him rest," Hilde whispered. She led the group out into the hall and quietly shut the door.

---------

Duo sat at the kitchen table, still not completely awake. He barely noticed the complicated program being scratched into the open notebook in front of him. "Duo? Are you alright?" Quatre said from across the crowded table. Duo looked up.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Tired? What do you have to be tired from?" Wufei said jokingly. Duo shot him a dirty look.

"I have over 20 Angels to take care of, nearly 5,000 people to keep in line, and I've got the ESUN breathing down my neck. If that isn't stressful enough, there are three viruses attacking the main systems of this colony, and now I have half a dozen people sick with something we can't cure!" Duo snapped. "I think I have the right to be tired. Unless you care to take over for me?"

Trowa sighed. "You're a wanted man, Duo. A terrorist and now an abductor."

Duo's fists slammed down. "Shut the hell up! You don't know what that bitch is capable of doing! You should be grateful I got you away from her in one piece!" He pushed his seat back, knocking it over. He grabbed the notebook in of him.

"Duo, wait!" Hilde cried. The braided captain ignored her as he stormed out of the house. Hilde looked back at the four other pilots before she ran out after them. The door slammed shut behind her.

----------

Quatre heard Duo laughing outside. He walked over to the window. The blonde was surprised to see the braided captain playing with about a dozen children in the front yard of the house. Three of the children had grabbed Duo's hands and were spinning him around in circles. The man had been blind folded. Quatre noticed Duo's skin flush with the exertion of playing with the children. Something felt off with Duo, and Quatre shuddered at the possibilities.

Suddenly the children dispersed, leaving the dazed captain alone in the yard. Duo began to walk carefully around the yard, looking for the children by sound alone. Quatre watched him carefully. Duo paused for a moment. He gasped for breath, paling slightly. The moment lasted only for a second. Duo got up and continued looking for the children. Quatre turned away from the window.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: GW is not mine. Only Sanji, Ran, the three ships, and Sanctuary are. That's about all I own. Please refrain from suing this jobless high school junior.

Chapter 4

Fractured Body

January 4th, AC 202

Duo gasped for breath after he put the large box down on the table. 'Something's not right…' he thought quickly, but he ignored his aching body's protests. "Thanks for all the help you've given us moving, sir," the woman said nervously.

The braided captain grinned. "Please, call me Duo. 'Sir' sounds too formal for someone who's barely 20." The woman blushed slightly. She held her newborn child closer to her unconsciously.

"Are you alright?" she asked suddenly.

"What makes you ask that?" Duo looked at her questioningly.

"You look a little pale, and moving the boxes into the house seems to have exhausted you."

Duo forced a grin. "I haven't been getting much sleep lately." It wasn't the total truth, but it wasn't a lie either. He hadn't been getting any sleep at all; his body felt like it was on fire. "Well, I really need to get going… Call if you need anything else."

"Okay, I will."

----------

"I'm going to bed," Duo said calmly. Instantly five heads rose.

Hilde walked over to her friend. "You seem pale… Are you feeling ok?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah. Just haven't been sleeping well lately." He began to walk up the stairs. "Plus I have to go reprogram Sanctuary's encryption software tomorrow."

"Well, we'll see you tomorrow night." Duo waved her good-night and continued to climb the stairs. Once he was sure he couldn't be seen by anyone downstairs, he leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He was getting more and more tired with each day. Simple tasks exhausted him, and his burning body kept him awake at night.

He walked slowly to his room and opened the door. He felt so… exhausted. He dragged his feet over to his bed and collapsed. He tried to will himself asleep, but the heat he felt refused to yield. Duo knew he was in for a long night.

----------

Duo sat down at the computer terminal. He took out his notebook and turned to the proper page. He stretched, cracking his knuckles. After logging into the system, he opened the program. Lines upon lines of code appeared on the screen. He glanced down at the notes he'd written the previous week. "Time to get started," he muttered.

When he looked back at the screen, his world spun. He grabbed the terminal's side. 'Dammit all…' Darkness swept over his vision, and the last thing he remembered was the pain of hitting the metal station as he fell forward.

----------

The braided captain struggled to open his eyes. He moved his hand slightly and felt the metal floor. His head was propped up on someone's coat. He managed to get his eyes open. "Ah! He's awake!" someone yelled. Duo cringed at the loud voice breaking into his pounding headache.

Duo turned his head towards the noise. He recognized the doctor standing a few feet away. "Damitri?" The man looked at him.

"Duo, how are you feeling?"

"My head's killing me…"

Damitri gave a soft laugh. "You took two excellent hits from very hard objects. I'm surprised you didn't lose more blood than you did." Duo tried to get up. "Let's take you back to my house. I need to make sure everything's alright."

"No, I'm fine," Duo said calmly. He managed to get to his feet and walked over to the computer terminal. "I haven't been sleeping very well."

"Very well," Damitri said. "I'll send some sleeping pills over to your house later."

Duo sighed. "Sure."

----------

Duo looked over at the small bottle of pills sitting on his dresser. He didn't want to rely on medicine to function, but he was just so tired. He reached over and picked the bottle up. He quickly removed the cap and tilting it slightly, retrieved the recommended dosage. He swallowed them dry. He climbed into bed, hoping to finally fall asleep. He closed his eyes and took two deep breaths before he slipped into sleep's embrace.

----------

Wufei jerked awake when he heard someone run down the hall towards the bathroom. He looked over at his other roommates. Trowa and Heero were already out of their beds and walking towards the door. The Japanese man eased the door open, and Trowa took the lead of the group.

The bathroom light was on, and the door was slightly open. The group could hear someone gasping for breath and the disgusting sounds of vomit hitting water. Trowa walked over to the door. He looked into the bathroom.

He was surprised to see Duo bent over the toilet. The braid was tucked under his tank top to avoid getting any puke in it. The pale face was slick with sweat, and the long bangs stuck to his skin. His eyes were squeezed shut as his stomach muscles painfully contracted.

However the sudden bout of sickness ending quickly, and Duo sank to the ground, exhausted. His back rose and fell as he took deep breaths. Trowa turned away from the door. "It's Duo," he whispered to the other pilots. "I think he's sick…"

"He can take care of himself," Heero said coldly. The other three pilots looked at him.

----------

Duo sighed deeply. He was exhausted; Damitri's pills were not helping him much. In fact, every time he took them, he was in the bathroom, his stomach eager to get rid of them. He caught himself falling asleep again. He shook his head vigorously to wake himself up. Tonight, no one was on the bridge of the _Eternity_ except him; it was past midnight already.

The braided captain walked up the stairs to the raised navigation center. He felt his body, despite burning inside, want to sleep. He was on the verge of a massive meltdown. He could feel it on the edge of his consciousness. He just wanted to be free from his pain-wracked body. He noticed a coat with a removable tie hanging from a nearby chair. He just wanted to be free…

----------

Sanji walked into the large bridge area of the _Eternity_. He knew that Duo would come here when he couldn't sleep. He always did. Sanji had long since learned that Duo Maxwell, leader of the Sanctuary colony, was a horrible creature of habit.

The captain of the _Destiny_ froze. He could see Duo hanging from a bar above the navigation center. Sanji ran over to the unconscious man. He righted the chair and got up on it. Duo was slender, almost dangerously underweight, so lifting him wasn't hard for the captain. Duo's head rolled onto Sanji's shoulder as he was lifted out of the noose's death grip. The braided young man was already blue. Sanji wasted no time cutting the tie above Duo's head and lowering both of them to the floor.

Duo was still unconscious from his suicide attempt, and he wasn't breathing either. "Shit," Sanji swore under his breath. He cut the tie around Duo's neck. He began doing CPR on the near-dead man. He pressed his lips onto Duo's pale blue ones and forced air into the lifeless body. "Don't die on me, damn you!" Sanji paused when he felt something gentle go across his skin. He leaned in close to Duo's mouth. There it was again. Duo was breathing; he had alive.

----------

Wufei jerked awake when he heard the phone ring. Someone ran downstairs to answer it; Wufei knew it was probably Hilde. He listened to the muted conversation, but he couldn't make out any words. Hilde ran over to a coat closet. She grabbed a light coat and ran outside. Wufei watched her disappear into the night.

----------

Duo stood in front of the large tank. He could barely make out the beautiful women floating in the strange liquid. One came up to the fiberglass. "Hello, Asuka," he said softly. He placed his hand on the glass. She rested hers against his.

_It is good to see you again, Duo. _Her 'voice' echoed in his mind. _The events on Earth had all of us deeply troubled… Especially Hotaru…_

"Well, they're in the past now. Tell Hotaru I'm fine." He coughed slightly. He touched the bandage around his neck gently. He couldn't remembered what he did last night that could have triggered the suicide, and he had barely managed to convince Hilde, Damitri, Sanji, and Ran to let him come down here alone. He hated the controls they'd set on his life. Just like Relena… He frowned at the thought and crushed it mercilessly under his feet.

_You're not well... _Duo felt the Angel brush against his memories. _You need to get some rest._

Duo looked up at her. Duo grinned. "I'll be fine; I'll get some sleep later. I wanted to make sure you all were alright." He coughed again. His chest burned for air suddenly. He used his free hand to try covering several more painful coughs. He tasted metal. Fearing for the worse, he looked down at his hand. It was covered in bright crimson blood. His chest heaved with the effort of ridding his lungs of the fluid. He sank to the ground. Blood dripped through his fingers, staining the ground. He kept his other hand on the glass. He could hear the Angels screaming inside. His chest burned, but he felt like he was drowning. He knew he probably was. In his own blood. His hand slid off the glass as the braided captain fell unconscious. A single word escaped his lips. "Heero…"

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­----------

Quatre heard something crying. "What is that?" Hilde looked up at him.

"What? That sound? It's the Angels. They do this sometimes. Like when someone's dying, they sing like this, and when someone's born, it's happy and cheerful," she said. "But I wonder who they're singing for…"

Quatre wasn't paying any attention. He saw a sad voice touch his mind. _An empath of the highest order… You must listen to me carefully… Please send someone to help him… He doesn't have much time…_

Trowa glanced over at the small blonde. "Quatre? Are you alright?"

The aquamarine eyes cleared and looked up into Trowa's emerald eyes. "I think an angel just spoke to me…"

"Duo said that people with telepathic abilities can talk to the Angels across distances, but he always has to physically touch the glass of their enclosure. In fact, he should be there right now," Hilde said. Suddenly she froze and paled. "Don't tell me…" She ran to the phone. She dialed a number. "This is Hilde! I need someone to go down to the Angel room right now! It's an emergency!" She slammed the phone down.

----------

"I'm amazed he's still alive…"

"His fever's gone down."

"He's reacting well to treatment, Doctor."

Duo's eyes slowly opened. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Duo," Damitri said, leaning over the patient. Duo blinked each time the doctor waved the bright light in front of his eyes. "Good." He grabbed Duo's hand. "Do you feel this?" The captain nodded. The doctor brushed his pen on the bottom of Duo's foot. "And this?" Duo nodded again. "Now wiggle your toes and fingers for me." Despite his embarrassment over such a childish exercise, he did as he was told. "Good, good. We were worried that you wouldn't be able to move, but the virus didn't affect your nervous system. Now how do you feel?"

"Like crap," Duo said, his voice shaky. "How'd I get here? What day is it?"

"Sanji found you unconscious in the Angel room covered in blood. Tests indicate you had a rare strain of a hybrid virus. It was the same one that killed those 8 people last month. You were in a drug-induced coma for about 3 weeks."

"Three weeks… Wait. You found a cure?"

Damitri nodded. "You'll have to stay in the hospital for a while, but I won't prevent you from working." He turned away from the braided captain. "Your friends were here quite a few times while you were unconscious. They were genuinely concerned."

"Doctor O'Neill, please report to the Emergency Room. Doctor O'Neill, please report to the Emergency Room," the nurse at the front office announced.

The doctor sighed. "Well, I must be off. A nurse will come in later to see if you'll keep some food down." Duo smiled slightly. "I want you to get some sleep. Doctor's orders overrule those of a patient's." Duo allowed himself to laugh at the underlying joke in the statement. Damitri smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"See you later."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own GW.

Chapter 5

Unspoken Fears

January 29th, AC 202

Duo sat on the hospital bed, typing on the laptop in front of him. His body was feeling better after the virus had been cured, and he was finally able to sleep throughout the night. The other Gundam pilots had come only three times since he woke up last week. The braided captain didn't mind; he wanted to keep the new project secret from them as long as possible.

A knock at the door alerted Duo to a visitor's presence. "Come in," he said without looking up from the screen.

"Are you still working, Duo?" Ran said jokingly. Duo grinned at her. She looked at the computer screen. "Especially on that project."

"Relena's not going to wait for very much longer. Especially now that I've taken her best soldiers out of the battle." He laughed slightly. "I wonder if we'll get the system up and running fast enough…"

"With your genius mind at work, nothing is impossible." Her cell phone rang softly. She took it out and listened to the one-sided conversation. "Okay, bye." She closed it and put it back into her pocket. "I have to go, but I'll send Erik over with more information tomorrow."

"I'll be waiting anxiously," Duo replied sarcastically. He returned to his work.

------------

Damitri walked into the hospital room. Duo had been transferred to a separate building that was much smaller and easier to monitor. The braided captain had stabilized, so having less staff watching him would be better for all of them.

Duo looked up from his laptop. "Ah, Damitri…" The doctor saw his nose twitch. "I smell… Pasta with chicken…" Damitri laughed at the young captain's face. Duo was practically drooling in anticipation. "The food in this place sucks horribly. I almost wished for ration packets the other day," he said jokingly.

Damitri laughed with the young man. Duo had seemed out of it for the past few days after recovering from the virus. He was still pale, and his neck was still bandaged from the suicide attempt a few days before he collapsed in the Angel Room. Damitri hadn't told Duo about the five times he'd nearly died while being cured. Duo would have been destroyed. He set the tray down on the bedside table. Duo reached over to grab it. He ate it quickly but not fast enough to cause him to retch it up. It was good to see that Duo's appetite had returned. The captain had always been thin, but the nearly month in the hospital had turned him into a stick. "I want you to eat all of that, Duo. I'll be back in the morning to check-up on you and bring breakfast. Alright?"

Duo nodded unconsciously. Damitri smiled slightly before he turned and left.

----------

Duo woke up in a dangerously familiar room. "Where…?"

"It's good to see you awake again, my pet," a man said nearby. Duo tried to jumped off of the bed, but straps on his wrists and ankles held him down. "Now, now… Is that anyway to greet your lover?" The man laughed hauntingly. Duo crushed the urge to scream. The man continued laughing. "Now, now. I don't want to have to punish you again, but I will if necessary." He pulled a knife out from the folds of his white lab coat to prove his point. Duo's eyes widened, and he trembled in fear.

----------

Alone in the small hospital branch, no one heard Duo scream.

----------

Hilde froze suddenly. The phone fell from her fingers to the ground. "Hilde? Hilde, is everything alright?" Damitri asked. Hilde didn't reply, but he could hear her footsteps echoing through the phone as she ran out the door.

----------

Sanji led the two pilots through the maintenance tunnels. "How do you know he'll be down here?" Trowa asked. The captain looked back.

"Duo always comes down here when he gets stressed," Sanji said calmly as he walked down the long stairs. The man knew the path down to the secondary Angel Room. Duo had fled there once nearly a year and a half ago after Hilde got in an accident. Sanji had barely managed to convince him to leave the safety of the secluded room and visit her in the hospital.

After a while, Sanji found the proper hatch and opened it. He walked down the corridor, turned left, and continued down the hall. He could hear Quatre and Trowa talking to each other softly behind him. The captain ignored them completely. He followed the corridor to the correct door. He knocked on it twice. There was no reply; Sanji knew that this episode must have been extremely unnerving for the generally stable captain. He opened the door slowly.

----------

Quatre heard singing again. He knew that no one else could hear it, but he could, clearly. It was a soft voice, angelic and sweet. Sanji moved out of the doorway into the room. "Duo, it's alright to come out," Sanji said calmly. "It's safe. I brought Quatre and Trowa with me." He motioned for the two Gundam pilots to come in.

Quatre looked around the large room. He could see large piles of books lining the walls around a small tank filled with a cloudy silver liquid. About a dozen interconnected computers were bunched in a corner. A small pile of cushions sat in another corner with a blanket thrown haphazardly over them; obviously someone had been sleeping in it recently.

Sanji walked around the tank. He sighed deeply and knelt down. He talked softly to someone hiding behind the cloudy tank. Sanji glanced over at them. The two pilots walked over to him. Sanji turned back to the person. "Duo, your friends are here. Do you want to talk to them?"

Quatre paused when he saw Duo curled up against the glass tank. The braided captain shook his head. "No, it was just a bad dream. I'll be fine. I just want to sleep a bit."

"Well, then. Get some rest," Sanji said calmly. "We'll be waiting for you back at the hospital. Damitri and Hilde are going to be angry, so try not to stay too long, alright?" Duo nodded, already half-asleep. Sanji stood up and walked away. He gave Quatre and Trowa a look that told them to follow him quickly.

----------

A few hours later, Duo was back at the hospital. Damitri and Hilde had lectured him about suddenly disappearing like that. He was tired from the lack of sleep, and he was still feeling the effects of the flashback. His nerves were shot to hell.

Erik knocked on the door. "I heard you needed more information on the defense system," the blond man said calmly. He walked across the room. "So here it is." He handed the jump drive to Duo. The braided captain put it into the necessary port on the laptop. "How have you been feeling?"

"Better."

"That's good to hear." Duo felt Erik place a hand under his chin and lift it up. He stared into the strange yellow-green eyes. Suddenly Erik bent down and captured Duo's lips.

------------

Heero turned the corner. He froze when he saw Duo and another man kissing. Duo seemed to enjoy the intimate touch of the stranger. Heero was surprised when he felt the intense urge to go over there and take the other man's place. He quickly fought down the urge. He turned and walked out of the hospital.

------------

Duo gasped when Erik broke the kiss he'd forced on the captain. "You fucking son of a bitch! What the hell gave you the right to do that to me?!" he yelled. He slapped Erik across the face. The blonde took a step back to get out of Duo's range, holding a hand to his cheek. "Get the hell out!!!"

Erik's eyes darkened. "I know the others follow you like little puppies after a toy, but you have to realize some of us gave up our _lives_ for you and your damnable little colony! You should be willing to pay us back for our services!"

"Go to hell!!" Duo yelled back. "Any payment I am willing to give out does **not** include anything close to sexual favors!!"

Erik smirked dangerously. "I heard what happened to you on that colony." Duo paled slightly. "Every night, those men would come."

"Shut up!!" Duo launched himself at the Sweeper. "Don't talk about that like you know what it was like!" Nurses and security people ran into the room. Already Duo had wrapped his hands around Erik's neck and was trying to pound the blond head into the tile floor. "Don't ever speak of that ever again!" He felt the security guards pull him off of the man. "Let me go!! That bastard deserves to die!!!" he screamed in anger, struggling against the holds.

Duo felt a needle enter his neck. Instantly a numbing sensation swept through his body. He looked over at the 'attacker'. "D-Damitri…?" He slumped in the guards' grip. His eyes fluttered shut.

------------

Hilde paced the kitchen floor. "What? What do you mean he had to be sedated?!" She listened to the other person. "Erik Hister? That Sweeper stationed on the _Serenity_? What caused the argument?... What?! Is he alright?... I'm heading over there right now." She turned the phone off.

"Is everything alright?" Quatre asked. Hilde turned towards the blonde.

She sighed. "Duo had to be sedated after having a heated argument with another Sweeper. He's going to wake up soon, but I doubt he's going to be very happy at all. I take it you want to come?" Quatre nodded. "Hurry up then. They're planning on snow tonight."

"Snow? I don't have a coat."

Hilde gasped. "Well, I'm sure Duo has one that you can wear. He obviously tends to collect things, including coats. They're in the closet to the right of the kitchen." She pointed to the necessary path. A few days after the other pilots arrived here last month, pressure had forced Duo to make clean paths to the most used areas of the house. Quatre followed the path to the kitchen and turned down the one to the closet. He opened the door. Inside were about a dozen coats of various sizes and colors. Quatre grabbed a long dark blue coat with a black belt sewn around the waist. "You have an excellent sense of fashion, Quatre. That one I think Duo bought on the _Serentiny_ when that line first came out last winter."

"Thank you," he said, putting the coat on. He was surprised to see it went down past his knees. Up close the blonde could see strange markings on the shoulders that went down the sleeves. "This is amazing! It's so light, but it's warm as well."

"The new ones are even lighter. Duo wore one of those to the meeting on Earth. Soon, the coats might become bulletproof or fireproof. The _Serenity_ is the ship in charge of those inventions. Perhaps I'll take you there sometime."

"That'll be good. Well, let's go."

------------

"He's not yet conscious, Hilde. We had to give him a stronger drug than we normally do." The doctor led the pair down the hall. "He should wake up within the hour, though."

"Thank you, Damitri," the woman said calmly. "What caused the argument?" The young doctor looked nervously at Quatre. Hilde glanced at him. "I understand. Quatre, you can go into the room. I'll be there soon." She and the doctor walked off to speak privately. Quatre turned and walked into the room.

Duo was sleeping on the bed. A laptop sat on the bedside table. It was on, but Duo had plugged it into a nearby socket. Quatre glanced at the sedated captain before he walked over to the computer. He scanned the window. "This is a mobile suit piloting program," he muttered softly. He noticed a jump drive attached to the computer. He opened the files. "An auto-defense system?" Quatre looked at Duo. "Why would they need a MS piloting program and auto-defense system?"


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Really wished I owned GW, but I don't. Which in some cases is good. Because who'd want to own **Relena**? Especially my version of her.

Chapter 6

Necessary Sacrifice

February 3rd, AC 202

"Duo, wait," Heero demanded. The braided captain froze at his computer terminal. He turned slowly towards the Japanese man. Heero noticed the faded bloodstains on the corner of the machine and the ground.

"Can I help you, Heero?"

Heero strode forward almost angrily. Duo fought the urge to step back in fear His mind told him to get away from the man and protect himself; his body wanted to stand still and accept his punishment quietly. The twin reactions were the results of nearly a year under the control of a madman and the three years of freedom. Duo had never felt so split in his thoughts, and he hated it. He knew that Heero had noticed his hesitation.

"Do you love Erik Hister?"

Duo paled slightly. "Did you see?" Heero nodded grimly. Duo lowered his eyes in shame. "He had no right to do that to me. I don't like him, let alone love him." Heero allowed himself to soften up on his assault. He realized what had happened to Duo in the "I don't think I could…"

"Why?"

"Why?" The importance of the single word almost crushed Duo immediately, and his mask crumbled completely. His urge to run was getting harder to resist. "I don't want to be hurt anymore, Heero. I've been broken so many times, Heero." The Japanese man walked over to the braided captain and wrapped his arms around the slender man cautiously. Duo stiffened.

"I won't judge you for your past," Heero whispered.

Duo shivered slightly. "I just want things to go back to the way they were before."

"You know that isn't possible," Heero said calmly. He felt Duo sigh, his back rising slowly and falling almost in relief.

"I know, I know," Duo muttered, pushing gently away from Heero. The Japanese man hid the frown when he saw Duo rebuild the cheerful, responsible mask. Duo slipped effortlessly under it, hiding his aching heart. "Can you help me rebuild the filing system, Heero?" Duo motioned to a nearby terminal. Heero nodded calmly and sat down.

----------

_It's good to see you again, Duo…_

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" the braided captain said calmly. "How have you been, Hotaru?"

_I've seen something go terribly wrong on Earth, Duo… That woman wishes to kill us all…_

"I'll be sure to attract her attention somehow. Don't worry." He raised his other hand to the glass. "Okay, Hotaru?"

The angelic woman placed her hand against the glass. _Please… be careful._

"Will you show me what to watch for?" he asked softly, knowing she could hear him even through the thick glass. He leaned down and touched his forehead to the glass. She connected the link. Images of war, death, and destruction raced through his mind. "Where does it all start?" The images stopped. He found himself in the bridge of the _Eternity_ listening to a message. He could barely make out any of the words. "How does it come to this?" Hotaru led him through another series of images. He watched the meeting on Earth last December pass by. Eventually it ended at the Mariemeia Incident. "Here? Is it Relena? Will she start this?"

_Yes… Soon…_

Duo pulled away from the glass, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He didn't know when he'd stopped breathing. His body shook slightly from the mental trip through time. "Thank you, Hotaru."

_You're welcome…_

----------

"I need to contact Milliardo," Duo said suddenly over dinner. Heero's head shot up at the sound of his rival. "Something's going down, and I need information from the outside."

"Can it wait until after dinner?" Hilde asked. Duo sighed.

"I don't know. I really don't know."

----------

"Relena's sending an army towards Mars, Duo," Milliardo said calmly. "Do you need help?"

"Probably," Duo said. "Try to get here as fast as possible."

"I will." The communication ended. Duo turned away from the large screen.

"Sir, there's a message from Earth," an officer said from below the captain. Duo sighed.

"Put it through."

Relena's face appeared the large overhead screen. "Mister Maxwell, what a pleasure it is to see you again after you left abruptly last December."

"Cut to the chase, bitch," Duo said coldly. The situation was just like Hotaru's prediction. He shivered. "I know you don't send a message out into space for a morning chat."

Relena's face flashed red momentarily before she regained her composure. "Very well then." She glared at the captain. "I have an army heading towards your precious little colony. There is no way you can defend it from my attack. Surrender now, and I won't harm anyone on the colony."

"What about the other Gundam pilots?"

A sinister smirk crossed the woman's face. "A necessary sacrifice."

Duo's blood ran cold. 'She's insane.' "Everyone on the colony will be spared?"

"Only if you come peacefully. You have twelve hours to think about it." The transmission ended.

The crew looked up at their captain. "What will you do, sir?"

"When Milliardo gets here, send him straight to my house. Also, alert the other captains and squad leaders."

----------

Duo watched the group of young men and women he had chosen over three years ago to help lead the group of exiles. Sanji and Ran, as captains of the other two ships, sat closest to the braided captain. Thirteen other squad leaders sat along the table; Milliardo was nearly the middle. "Relena has declared that unless I give myself over to her, she'll destroy the colony," he said calmly. The other people gasped. "We need to establish escape routes for all of the colonies around Mars. I don't want her getting her hands on any more people than necessary."

"The closest Earth colony cluster is too small to hide nearly 30 colonies," Sanji said, pressing a button on a terminal in front of him. A 3D hologram appeared over the table. It featured all of the colony clusters, Earth, and Mars. "But if we Jump here," he tapped a position on the screen closer to the asteroid belt, "we can hide all of the colonies."

"I agree," Ran said. All of the attending officers looked towards her. "There are some Sweeper routes around there that are frequently used in salvaging operations."

"Once Relena leaves Mars alone again, we can Jump back."

"Good," Duo said calmly. "What about a chain of command? We need someone to captain the _Eternity_." Duo glanced at Milliardo. "Could you do it, Milliardo Peacecraft?"

"Once Relena finds out my connection with this colony, even I won't be safe."

Duo took that as a yes. "What about the other Gundam pilots?" one of the squad leaders asked.

"Let them stay. It'll increase our chances of survival," Milliardo said confidently. "We'll need everyone we can get once this war begins."

"Milliardo's right. If anything, it'll keep them away from Relena. She's not afraid to kill them as well," Duo said. "But we have more pressing matters. How is the MS production coming along?"

Sanji frowned. "We don't have nearly enough to defend the colony for any measure of time. If we had about 3 more months, we'd stand a fighting chance against the ESUN," he stated calmly. "The programs are all set already."

"Good." A red light went on above the table. "She must be here already. Do we have everything set?"

"Yes, sir!"

"For freedom!"

"For freedom!

----------

"Have you made your decision, Maxwell?" Relena asked. Duo glared at her. He knew her overconfidence was going to cost her dearly someday but not today.

Duo sighed. "As long as you promise to not harm the colony."

"You have my word as leader of the ESUN."

Duo knew she was lying, but he was prepared for it. "Fine. I surrender." She smiled, victorious.

"Good. I'll send a shuttle over right away."

"Before you go, can you tell me who your spy was?"

Confident of her victory, Relena wasn't hesitant about giving away her scapegoat. "Erik Hister." Duo frowned. "He was the one to tell me where you and your colony were."

"Figured as much…"

"The shuttle will be there in 10 minutes, Maxwell. Be at the port by then, or the colony will be destroyed." Duo waved her off as he walked out the door.

----------

The four pilots knew something was wrong the moment Duo stepped in from the sudden rain. Instantly he went over to Hilde and whispered something to her. The young woman broke down. Duo held her as she cried into his shirt. Three minutes later, the woman stopped crying. She hugged Duo one more time, ignoring his wet clothes and hair. The braided captain turned and walked back out the door. The door closed behind him.

Wufei frowned. "When's Maxwell going to be back?"

Hilde turned away from the group. "Duo…Duo won't be back for a while. He has important business to attend to tonight. I don't know when he'll be back."

Heero ran out the door after Duo. He knew something was seriously wrong with the situation if Hilde didn't know when Duo would return to his own home.

Heero followed Duo to the space port. An ESUN shuttle was waiting there. The Japanese man frown when he saw Relena standing next to the braided pilot with a victorious grin on her face. She noticed Heero's presence and said something to Duo. The captain spun around; his face paled as their eyes locked. "Duo…" Heero walked over to the pilot. Duo looked away from the piercing cobalt blue eyes.

"Please, Heero, let me do this…" Heero lifted Duo's chin. Violet eyes again locked with Heero's eyes. "If I don't…"

"I won't stop you, Duo." Heero brushed his fingers over Duo's pale skin. He leaned down and gently kissed the American. Duo didn't protest to the embrace as Heero wrapped his arms around the slender torso. It only lasted a minute, and the pair soon parted.

"I've…I've had lots of fun with you guys," Duo whispered into Heero's ear. The Japanese man let him slip from his loose grip. Duo walked back over to Relena. She glared at the captain before she led him into the shuttle. Duo looked over his shoulder as the door closed tightly.

----------

Hotaru drifted in the misty liquid of the tank. She could feel Duo's presence leaving the colony, but he remained in the infinite tapestry upon which she watched time flow past. She allowed the song to well up in her throat before she let it go.

_Singular and ageless_

_Perpetually bound _

_Through the tempest_

_Be it deluge or sand_

_A singular voice_

_Speaks through the torrent_

_Sacrifice is his gift_

_One that cannot be equaled_

She barely noticed the other Angels singing along with her as she began the song again.

----------

"Destroy the colony," Relena ordered.

Duo jumped at her. "You lying bitch!! You promised not to harm the colony!!"

Two large men grabbed the captain. Duo struggled to break free, but the men's grip only tightened. Relena turned towards him. "The ESUN does not negotiate with terrorists, Mister Maxwell." She walked over to him. "And Professor Dominique only needed you for the project. The others were failures to him and me."

"Ma'am, the colony just disappeared!"

"What?!" The woman spun around. "Where did they go?"

Duo laughed. "Guess I was right to make those plans before you got here, and in three months, you'll have a massive problem on your hands."

"In three months, Maxwell, you'll be just another tool to use."

Duo grinned. "We'll see…"


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own GW. cries

AN: Thanks to bekkalynn and snowdragon for all of the support!!! I greatly appreciate it!!!

Chapter 7

Fight for Freedom

June 9th, AC 202

"How many pilots do we have?" Milliardo asked, walking down the hall of the _Eternity_.

"About 2000, sir."

Milliardo sighed. "That's nowhere near enough."

"Sorry, sir."

"We'll manage somehow." Milliardo turned into the launch bay. "Have we received any news about Duo?"

"Nothing, sir. No doubt Relena's keeping him close to her. Since she has made any moves, it's safe to assume that he is."

"Dammit."

Another assistant ran up. "Sir, the _Destiny_ says that it just picked up a large ESUN fleet heading this way!"

"Damn, she found us already. Prepare the colonies for a Jump away from the battlefield. The _Eternity, Serenity, _and the_ Destiny_ are to assume battle positions. If anything, we won't go down without a fight. First, I need to go talk to someone," Milliardo said. He opened the airlock and walked out into the interior of Sanctuary.

----------

"You need us to fight against the ESUN?" Quatre said as calmly as possible. The other Gundam pilots stared at Milliardo as if the blonde had lost his mind.

"Why should we do that? We have no allegiance to this colony," Wufei said.

"So you're just going to make Duo's sacrifice go to waste?" The Chinese man flinched as though Milliardo had slapped him. "Duo gave up his freedom to make sure you all were safe! The least you can do is fight for his dream!" Milliardo yelled in anger. "For all of his smarts, he sure picked a bunch of stupid friends." He stood up. "Think about it for a while, because in a few hours, Sanctuary might not be here anymore."

----------

Duo felt the doctor strap him into the cockpit. He was exhausted from the last batch of 'tests', and he knew from the madman's smirk that this would be far worse than anything he'd survived through these past four months. "You should feel honored to be the first to experience this new program. It'll be downloaded onto those little machines in your head, and you'll finally be ready for battle, my precious toy." He gave the last strap around his chest a final tight pull. Duo gasped for breath. He put a visor on over Duo's head before he connected it to the computer. "Don't worry. It won't hurt too much…" The man laughed as he got out of the cockpit. The door slid shut in front of Duo.

The former captain heard the Mobile Suit start up. The visor itself lit up. Duo barely paid attention to the lines of code racing past on the screen. He didn't care about the program at all; he just knew it was going to be horrible.

Suddenly his head burst into flames. Waves of sheer pain washed over his consciousness. He bit back the urge to scream from the pain. He refused to give the man that satisfaction. The nanomachines in his body went into overdrive, eagerly taking in the new system. "Stop… Stop… Stop…" he sobbed. He tried to stop the forced download.

He wasn't sure if the scream was real or just in his head before he lost consciousness.

----------

"Launch all Mobile Suits! The four Gundam pilots are in charge of the defense!" Milliardo ordered. "Tell the colonies to Jump to Sweeper Route 25!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Colonies have successfully Jumped, sir."

"Mobiles Suits launched, sir."

"The Gundam pilots are in position, sir."

"ESUN MS detected."

"Prepare for battle!" Milliardo yelled. "Gundam pilots, I hope your skills haven't decreased in the past five years, because we're going to need every shred of them."

"We'll be fine," Quatre said over the communication lines.

"Sir, one enemy Mobile Suit has broken away from the rest of the group. It's heading towards the _Serenity_."

'Why the _Serenity_?' the blond commander thought. "Wufei, did you hear that?"

"Of course! One enemy on its own should be no match for me!"

----------

Wufei saw the enemy MS approach quickly. "Stupid bastard…" he muttered, pulling out the rifle on his own machine. He was amazed at Duo's programming skills as the aiming system immediately locked onto the enemy. He pulled the trigger.

The ESUN Mobile Suit changed course suddenly and avoided the shot completely. It turned towards Wufei's position at insanely fast speeds. Wufei briefly wondered if the pilot was even still conscious as he watched the MS draw a long beam saber. It took a very familiar stance before it began to swing down on Wufei's suit.

"Dear Ancestors, please don't tell me it's him…"

The screens around him went dark.

----------

Trowa and Heero flew towards Wufei's position as quickly as possible. They both had heard the Chinese man mutter something before communications with the pilot had gone eerily silent.

Both pilots froze when they saw a ESUN Mobile Suit hacking away at Wufei's broken machine. They drew their weapons and charged the enemy. The MS released Wufei and prepared to defend itself against two new targets.

"I…want…to…die…" a broken voice said over the intercom. Trowa and Heero figured it was the pilot of the enemy MS.

"Heero. Trowa. I want you to try to catch that machine," Milliardo's voice said.

"Fine," Heero growled. He switched his target from the vulnerable torso to the arms and legs. He knew that Trowa had done the same. The pair had gained an exception sense of teamwork from the wars, and they worked in perfect synchronization.

Heero and Trowa moved in for a disabling attack. The enemy Mobile Suit turned to attack Heero. The Japanese man realized his mistake. The MS sacrificed an arm to get a clear shot at Heero's cockpit, but suddenly the enemy jerked back. Heero was happy to have gotten away safely, but he knew that something was wrong with the enemy pilot.

----------

Duo struggled to keep consciousness against the domineering program in his body's nanomachines. He felt like his head was being split open from the inside out, but his one thought was protecting the pilots of the two new attackers. It had taken him only a few seconds to realize who they were. "I…want…to…die…" he managed to whisper. Tears ran down his face. "Heero…help…me…" His machine lost an arm.

Violet eyes went wide when he realized what the program was trying to force him to do. Acting on pure desperation, he jerked the controls back. He refused to give up. He pushed the MS into Trowa's path, losing both legs in the process. Another attack by Heero left the ESUN machine unarmed and useless. Duo smiled softly before he allowed himself to lose consciousness again.

----------

Quatre dragged Wufei's broken MS into the launch hanger of the _Eternity_. He looked over at Trowa and Heero. They were placing a captured Mobile Suit on the ground. Teams of medical personnel and engineers swarmed the two damaged machines.

Once Wufei's Mobile Suit had come to a complete and utter stop, the cockpit door slid open and the Chinese man got out. He was bleeding slightly from cuts on his arms and forehead, but he seemed fine otherwise. He climbed down the MS almost frantically. He took off running as soon as he hit the ground.

----------

Wufei ignored the angry yells of people as he pushed past them. He didn't care about them; the only person in the entire world that mattered might be in the cockpit of the enemy's MS. He climbed up the side. Hoping that the outer latch of the machine was still in the same place, he felt along the edge of the cockpit door. He smiled slightly when his fingers ran into the button. He eagerly pressed it and stood back as the door slid open.

The Chinese man swore softly when he saw the unconscious pilot strapped into the chair. He climbed into the small cockpit, pulling out a small knife. He sawed through the straps. Once the last strap was severed, Wufei dropped the knife to the side. He pulled the strange visor off, fully revealing the familiar face of the missing Gundam pilot. "Shit, Duo. What the hell happened to you?" he asked as he took in the various cuts on the pale body. "We need a medic!" Wufei yelled out the door. He could hear people scrambling below him.

Wufei moved to wrap his arms around the bloody young man. The second his fingers touched Duo's skin, the captain's eyes snapped open. Wufei got a glimpse of the beautiful violet eyes gain a dangerous cat-like appearance. Duo launched himself at Wufei and despite his lighter weight, knocked both of them off of the machine. The ten-foot fall seemed to last for only a second, and then Wufei gasped as he and Duo hit the steel floor. Wufei's shoulder and upper arm felt on fire; he knew they were broken. He got to his feet. Duo struggled to stand up, and the weakness gave Wufei a chance to defeat the madman.

The Chinese pilot was caught completely off-guard when Duo flung himself into another attack. Duo again knocked Wufei to the ground. Slender fingers wrapped around Wufei's neck, effectively cutting off any oxygen he could get. The two pilots' blood mixed, and Wufei felt a burning sensation all over his body.

A conditioned reflex snapped an elbow into the insane man's jaw, and Wufei took that opportunity to grab Duo by the throat. Duo jerked back, unable to escape Wufei's hold. Duo punched at Wufei, but the Chinese man moved out of the way. The pale fist slammed into the steel ground. Duo winced in pain. Wufei grabbed the arm and threw Duo across the room. The braided captain gasped when he hit the floor. Wufei jumped to his feet. He barely acknowledged the other three pilots running towards them. "Stay back!" Wufei ordered. The others froze. "Just stay there!"

Duo stood up, holding his left arm. Wufei smirked. The injury would slow Duo down at the very least and that would give… Duo attacked again. Wufei rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the braided young man's assault. Duo spun and kicked out. Wufei caught Duo's foot, but he couldn't block Duo's second attack. Duo's left foot caught Wufei in the side of the head. Wufei saw stars as he collapsed to the ground. He felt blood run down the side of his face. When he looked back up at Duo, Wufei felt himself pale.

The violet eyes that were usually so alive were cold and dangerous. No emotions crossed the pale, blood-streaked face as Duo prepared to deal the final blow. Wufei knew somehow that there was no way he could survive. "I will follow my mission and destroy Sanctuary. I am expendable," Duo said coldly.

The manner in which Duo spoke sparked something in Wufei's memory. He remembered the cold, calculating, controlling program that had been installed into Wing Gundam. Wufei could still feel the faint touch of the program on his mind, and he shivered slightly. "The… Zero… System?" he whispered.

The final blow never came. Wufei and Duo both froze when they heard the soft gunshot. Duo reached up slowly and touched the tranquilizer dart gently. He pulled it out. The dart skittered across the steel ground. He backed away from the downed Wufei. "Wha…What the hell?" he muttered. His cat-like irises changed back to normal. He stumbled slightly; the tranquilizer worked quickly. Another dart sunk into his arm. He paled violently. His eyes slid shut, and he fell to the ground in a bundle of long limbs and chestnut hair.

----------

Wufei followed the medical personnel as they ran through the halls pushing the stretcher. Already Duo had a blood transfusion started. However, the wounds themselves didn't stop bleeding.

"You need to wait here," a nurse said calmly. Wufei glared at her.

"I know how to help."

"But-."

"Let him in, Elma," a young doctor said calmly. The pair looked at him. "We need help."

Wufei walked around the nurse into the room. Duo was surrounded by a team of doctors and nurses. "What do you need me to do?"

"I take it you've already realized that something is…different about Duo Maxwell, right?" Wufei nodded. "He has nanomachines in his body. Usually they heal injuries, but as you can see, they aren't following their programming. Once we reset the systems, I want you to cut him."

The Chinese man paled. "Cut him? He'll die!"

The doctor shook his head. "Once the nanomachines are reset, they'll recognize any and all injuries. These ones won't be recognized right away, but if we inflict new ones close by, they'll be repaired."

"How do you know all this?" Wufei asked.

The doctor looked at the former Preventor. "Because I once worked with Duo in the labs while he developed the nanomachines for medical purposes." He turned away from Wufei. "Prepare to reset the system!" he ordered. "Wufei, I must ask you to keep this a secret from the others." Wufei nodded. This was something that would remain between the three of them. "Now I need you to stand back. This will be one of the most painful things you'll ever see."

Wufei took a couple of steps back. He watched as the team prepared a strange electrical device. "Three…. Two…. One!" They lowered the rods down onto Duo's skin. The braided captain's body arched almost impossibly, and a strangled cry escaped his lips. Wufei could see the electricity racing down his arms and legs.

It was over in seconds. Wufei rushed to his friend's side. The doctor shoved a sharp scalpel into his hands. Wufei gently sliced the pale skin, hoping to trigger the necessary response. "You idiot!" the doctor yelled angrily. He grabbed the knife from Wufei's hand. "You need to do it like this!" He viciously stabbed the entire blade into the arm and slid it across the entire width of the limb, severing muscle, nerves, and blood vessels. Blood raced out of the pale body and dripped to the floor. However the attack had triggered the nanomachines. Wufei watched as muscle, then skin, grew back impossibly fast. Soon every visible wound had repaired themselves. "We need to take him to a room to rest. Realize that he was probably raped while on Earth," Wufei paled sharply, "and the machines in his body were forced to download some sort of program. It's the only explanation for the abnormal behavior. It was probably deleted by the reset."

"Do you think he remembered the battle?"

"Probably, but you should ask him when he wakes up." The doctor watched the team push the bed away. "Please, give him some time, Wufei. I don't know how long it'll take for him to return to normal, but he will eventually." The doctor turned away from the door. "Now, let's talk about you."

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"You fought with a very strong young man. No doubt you have some injuries."

Wufei shook his head. "No. I feel fine." The doctor's eyebrows rose.

"Is that so…. I want you to sit on the bed over there."

"What for?"

"I need a blood sample." To confirm his statement, the doctor pulled out a large needle. Wufei glared at the syringe as he sat down on the bed. He undid the clasps on his blood-stained shirt and shrugged it off. He was surprised to see the wounds he'd received in the space battle and following fist fight with Duo had healed, even his broken arm.

The doctor dabbed a numbing liquid onto the strong arm. Wufei watched the needle slide under his skin and crimson blood begin to fill the syringe. Something seemed off about the blood's color. It was almost metallic. The doctor finished getting the blood sample and pulled the needle out gently. He walked over to a microscope.

Wufei pulled his shirt on again, but he didn't bother to close it. The Chinese pilot went over to the laboratory equipment. The doctor put a single drop of blood on a slide and placed it under the microscope. He turned on the machine.

Wufei nearly jumped in surprise when the wall to his right flickered. He spun around, prepared to fight off an attacker. He allowed himself to calm down at the sight of healthy red blood cells on the screen. The doctor walked past him and stopped in front of the image. The man watched for something.

"Here. Enlarge," the doctor said, tapping on a small region near one of the cells. The computer quickly zoomed in on the requested area and focused the image. Wufei couldn't see anything important. "Again. Here." He tapped on the screen again. The computer repeated the process. Again nothing could be seen. "Again." Finally Wufei saw something moving. It wasn't the enormous cell, but something incredibly tiny. "Enlarge." The image grew, focusing on a single tiny machine. Wufei paled. A nanomachines… He had been infected with nanomachines, and since he'd gotten them straight from Duo during the fight, there was a high probability of the Zero System still existing in him. "This is most definitely unusual," the doctor muttered. Wufei couldn't hear the rest of the doctor's mumblings. The older man walked over to the medicine cabinet. Wufei watched the man pull out a bottle of pills. He threw them to Wufei. "I want you to take these. Two pills twice a day. It'll help the nanomachines and you. I'll see if I can get something else to stabilize them permanently."

"Why to I need to take these?" Wufei asked.

The doctor sighed. "The problem with the nanomachines that Duo developed is that they don't respond well to direct transfer from one person to another. Most of the experiments failed miserably, but something tells me you'll do fine." Wufei's sudden fear vanished. The doctor was right. He felt completely normal, completely human. Nothing much had changed to him physically, mentally, or emotionally. Wufei was still human, despite the nanomachines in his blood. "It'll take some getting used to, though, I won't deny it, and unless I can find a more permanent solution, it will hurt."

"If this is what Duo went through, I can survive." Wufei sighed. "I'm still human." The doctor nodded. "I guess I always knew what Duo was doing when he first disappeared, but never did I expect him to have changed so much."

"He's the leader of Sanctuary, Chang Wufei, and leaders have to make sacrifices."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This is really starting to get irritating…. ANYWAY!!! GW is not mine. The plot of this story and some of the characters are, so please don't take!!!!

Chapter 8

Drastic Measures

June 15th, AC 202

"I was worried, Wufei." The Chinese man looked up from the chessboard to study his friend.

"About what?"

"I seriously thought I'd killed you," Duo said sadly. "And when I heard you were infected by the nanomachines in my body, I worried that you were dying."

Wufei sighed as he picked up a piece and moved it across the board. It was the third time in nearly a week that Duo had dropped into this depression. "We're both fine now and that's all that matters," he said calmly. "I promise to help you get through this, Duo. I won't stop you if you decide to do something drastic. Just promise me you won't regret it."

Duo smiled. "I won't." Wufei watched him carefully for any sign of instability, but the braided captain gave nothing away. He simply moved his queen. "Checkmate," Duo said calmly, grinning. Wufei glared at the offending piece. "Perhaps I should teach you to play chess, ne, Wufei?"

Wufei sat back, his face red with embarrassment. "I didn't expect you to play chess, let alone know how to play it." Duo laughed at Wufei's blush.

"Expect the unexpected, Chang Wufei." Duo set the board back up.

----------

"You sure about this, Wufei?"

Wufei glared at the captain. "I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't sure. Now start up the system."

Duo pressed the activation button. Wufei felt static build in the air around them. The plain room shifted into a quiet forest with a slight misting rain. He registered the familiar weight of a sharp katana in his hands. "Remember, Wufei, if you get injured while the program's running, you won't heal," Duo said, carefully adjusting to the sword's weight. "The nanomachines will inflict the injuries. Not the fatal ones, of course."

"Good." The program gave them the go-ahead. The Chinese man launched himself at Duo. The braided young man blocked his strike. "What are you thinking of doing, Duo?" he asked calmly.

The captain grinned. "Something horribly drastic."

"How drastic?"

"Very drastic. Almost enough to be insane."

Wufei frowned as Duo pushed him back. "I never expected you to do something 'insane'. Care to tell me what your plan is?"

Violet eyes flashed dangerously. "Knowledge comes with a price, Wufei. Always has, always will. Are you willing to give up the chance of returning to ignorance once I tell you?"

"I don't want to regret my choices, Duo. I promised not to interfere."

The American smiled again. "Once we're done." He jumped a short distance back. "Come now, Chang Wufei," Duo said cheerfully. "Give me everything you got."

----------

Heero glared at the two pilots as they walked in through the door. Both Wufei and Duo looked exhausted. They had also changed into different clothes from the ones that they had worn went they left the house. Duo wore bandages around his wrist and fingers; Wufei had a single bandage wrapped around his neck and sported a beautiful blue and black bruise on his exposed upper arm.

Duo went upstairs to his room, and Heero heard the door close softly. "What was that about?" Heero demanded. Wufei paused.

"What was what about?" the Chinese man said calmly.

Heero tensed angrily. "You two were gone all day, and you come home in new clothes and covered in bandages!"

"Maxwell asked me for martial arts training!" Wufei snapped. "He's 22-years-old! He doesn't need you to watch his every move!"

Heero stood up. "I don't! You two were never close, and all of a sudden you're acting like co-conspirators?! I want to know what's going on!"

"It's non of your concern!"

----------

Duo reached for the small generator. The braided captain was intent on building something revolutionary, but Wufei didn't know what it was. The Chinese man simply watched and studied his friend's actions. "The others won't like this, Duo."

Duo looked up from the machine. "I know, but it'll all work out in the end."

Wufei glared at the slender back. "Let's hope so..."

----------

"What have you two been doing, Wufei?" Heero demanded. "I've seen you and Duo talking seriously, and I want to know what you're doing."

Wufei tensed. The Japanese pilot took a threatening step forward; Wufei forced himself to retreat. "It's none of your business, Yuy, what Maxwell and I are doing."

"Like hell it is! Something's wrong! Duo spends more time with you than anyone else!"

"What does it matter to you?!" Wufei yelled back. "You're acting like his mother!"

The statement caused something to snap in Heero. The Japanese man flung himself at Wufei. The other Asian man ducked to the side, and as Heero passed by, Wufei delivered a brutal kick to his ribs. Heero jumped back. The Asian pilots glared at each other.

"This isn't over, Wufei," Heero growled. He got up and walked out of the house. Wufei watched him leave before he went upstairs to Duo's room.

----------

"You need to disappear," Wufei said suddenly. Duo's head shot up from the laptop. "Yuy's onto us."

Duo quickly saved his progress and packed up his stuff. "Do you think you can stall them for 2 hours?"

"We'll meet in the Angel room." Wufei set his watch's alarm.

"See you then." Duo ran out of the house.

----------

"Where's Duo?!" Milliardo yelled angrily.

Wufei simply stared at the blond man calmly. "I don't know." Wufei smirked. "Even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you."

The normally calm and collected man flushed with murderous rage. "Tell me where he is NOW!!!"

"Or what? You going throw me out the airlock?"

"Don't tempt me, Chang!"

'Only 15 more minutes…' The Chinese man had sat here for nearly two hours going through interrogator and interrogator until finally Milliardo Peacecraft decided to try his luck himself.

The frustrated man realized he was not going to get any information from the Gundam pilot and stormed out of the room. Wufei sighed, slightly disappointed. Soon, however, he was surprised to see Trowa enter. "Barton."

"Wufei," the former clown said calmly as he sat down. The pair stared at each other for ten full minutes. "Milliardo says that you're planning to betray Sanctuary."

The Chinese man snorted. "Did he now?"

"Where is he, Wufei?"

Wufei would never admit to anyone that he was half tempted to tell Trowa Duo's plan, but he remembered his oath not to interfere with anything the braided pilot did. Telling Trowa anything would be interfering to Wufei.

The interrogation continued for a few more minutes. Suddenly Wufei's alarm went off. Confusion flashed through Trowa's emerald eyes. Wufei launched himself across the table, knocking the brunette to the ground. Trowa gasped as his head hit the hard floor. Wufei ran to the door. He knew he didn't have time to worry about his stunned friend.

Guards ran out into the hall. Wufei quickly dispatched them. He couldn't afford to have many people after. Wufei ran down the hall. Praying to every god he could think of, he ignored the startled gasps of his other friends and dove out the window. He felt the glass cut into his skin, but the nanomachines repaired the injuries. He turned to land on his feet. He ran over to the entrance to the maintenance tunnels.

Duo had told Wufei the path to take to get to the Angel room. The Chinese man quickly remembered it. It only took about five minutes to get to the nearest exit to the Angel room.

The braided captain was waiting patiently next to the tank. Wufei had never seen the Angels before, and their strange mermaid-like appearance was surprising. "Wufei, come here. You should talk to Hotaru at least once before we leave," Duo said, motioning to the silver-haired Angel in front of him. Wufei quickly walked over to the pair. "Put your hand here." The Chinese man stared at his friend cautiously before he placed his hand on the glass. The woman put her hand against his.

_It is a pleasure to meet you, Chang Wufei... I've been watching you very closely since the first war… You are an abnormality in time… Just like Duo… _

"Abnormality?"

_When your colony was attacked and destroyed, you were supposed to die… But now I see that it was for the better that you survived… This next battle will be a major turning point in history, and I cannot see where you both will go… But know that there is no such thing as coincidence, only inevitability… _The Angel did an awkward bow and swam away. Wufei watched her disappear into the murky waters.

"That…was different…"

Duo grinned. "But it was fun, right?"

The pair turned when they heard people yelling far down the hall. Milliardo and Heero were leading a group of guards towards their position. "We should get going," Wufei said. Duo handed him a small device. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yep. Just press that button." Wufei did as he was instructed. The room flashed suddenly before Wufei found himself standing in the middle of an empty field. Duo laughed enthusiastically. Wufei glared at him. "We made it!"

"You sound as though you didn't expect this."

"Well, don't get me wrong! It works as well as I wanted it to. It's just that…" Duo pulled out his GPS tracker. "We're about 7 miles away from where I set the coordinates…"

----------

Sally gasped in surprise and froze. The sharp blade bit into her neck threateningly. "Close the door calmly," a familiar voice said from behind her.

"Wufei? What are you doing?" she asked as she closed the door. The knife disappeared, and the Chinese man walked over to the coach and sat down. "What the hell is going on?!" she screamed at him. "You disappear for months, and the first time I see you again, you're holding a knife to my neck!"

The sounds of a flushing toilet interrupted her rant. "Ah, sorry about that, Sally," Duo said, walking out of the bathroom. "I needed to ask you if you kept the key to my storage locker."

"It's hanging on the rack. What do you need from it? And where have you two been?"

"I'm afraid we can't tell you much, Sally," Duo said, walking over to the key rings. He removed the necessary key off of the rack. "All I can say is that we're taking drastic measures." He grinned softly. He motioned for Wufei to follow him out the door.

Sally knew that Duo was planning something extreme. "Well, if you need my help ever again, just drop by," Sally said as calmly as possible considering the situation.

Duo grinned one more time. "I'll be sure to remember that." The door closed silently behind the pair.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Same as always

Chapter 9

BAD FRIENDS

June 30th, AC 202

Duo and Wufei calmly walked into the crowded building. They both knew what parts they played in Duo's dangerous plan, and they had prepared accordingly. They moved to the large auditorium where Relena Peacecraft was scheduled to make a speech in a few minutes.

The pair chose to stand in to stand in the back. They watched Relena climb up the stairs and stand at the podium. She began to speak. Wufei listened carefully, and he knew that Duo was studying each move she made and every word that she spoke. The Chinese man found several things wrong in her speech, such as the battle earlier in the month.

Relena scanned the room as she spoke. Finally her eyes fell on the pair. Duo smirked as she froze. It lasted only a few seconds, and she moved on with her speech. The pause didn't affect her at all.

----------

The only ship with stealth technology, the _Destiny_ Jumped into Earth orbit. A shuttle was quickly sent down to the surface. Quatre, Trowa, Heero, and Milliardo led a team into the city. They had figured out where the pair of fugitives was heading, and they knew they were racing against time.

----------

Duo led Wufei into the large building. He barely noticed the increased security around the lobby. He knew that they recognized him at least. The long braid and violet eyes set him off immediately. "Look, Wufei. Guests," Duo said a little more cheerfully than he should have. The two pilots sat down on a pair of chairs.

The Chinese man frowned. "Perhaps you mean victims?" he said calmly. Duo laughed.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." Duo shrugged. He turned to the approaching guards. "Is it true that Relena Peacecraft's here?"

"What does it matter to you, traitor scum?!" one of the guards asked. Duo grinned and relaxed in his seat.

"Good, good. Thanks for answering my question," Duo said, pulling a small grenade out the inside of his coat. "Come on, Wufei. We have an appointment with Prime Minister Peacecraft, and I'd hate to be late." The two pilots walked towards the elevator. He tossed the grenade over his shoulder. Wufei heard the people below scream in surprise before they tried to run away. The small bomb exploded.

----------

The alarm rang loudly, and it did nothing to raise Wufei's mood. The shrill sound began to become irritating at best. The Chinese man inserted a new clip into the handgun as he stood behind the thick pillar. Bullets ricocheted off of the marble surface. Wufei looked over at the American. The braided captain was calmly waiting out the attack. The gunfire let off slightly, but that was all the time Duo needed. He jumped out. He fired quickly. The bullets ripped through the guards; the bodies fell to the ground almost silently. Duo dashed down the hall and up the stairs. Wufei followed quickly and quietly.

Duo froze when he saw a new guard appear at the top of the stairs. He was virtually unprotected. The guard opened fire, and Duo gasped as three bullets ripped through his abdomen. Blood splashed across the carpeted stairs. As he fell, Duo shot the guard in the middle of the forehead.

Wufei ran to catch his friend. Wufei dragged Duo to a more defendable position. He didn't care about the stains he was getting on his clothes. He ran his fingers down the slender back and felt around for exit wounds. He registered two holes in the pitch black fabric. Wufei frowned. Already the wounds were healing, and it would be extremely painful to extract the third bullet. "Shit," Wufei muttered.

"I'll be good, Wufei," Duo gasped. Wufei could see that the braided young man was in a large amount of pain. His face was pale, and his violet eyes were tightly shut. His chest rose and fell in a fast pattern. Wufei felt for his pulse; it was almost dangerously rapid, but strong.

Soon, though, Duo bent over. He struggled to get up. Wufei saw crimson drops fall to the ground, further staining the expensive carpet. "We should rest for a couple minutes," Wufei suggested.

Duo laughed slightly. "I'll be fine, Wufei. The nanomachines are working beautifully." He reloaded his gun and dashed up the stairs. This time nobody stopped the pair. Wufei tried his best to ignore the obvious pain his friend was in. He only hoped Duo could last long enough to make it out of here alive.

----------

"Did you hear?! The hotel that Prime Minister Peacecraft is staying in was attacked." Heero's attention was instantly captured. The two young women nearby laughed slightly.

"Really?!"

"Really!"

"The police have already gotten there."

"Oh, I guess we won't get any good views then."

----------

Wufei waited for the gunfire to pause before he glanced around the corner. He glared at the ten or so men standing at the end of the hall in front of Relena's door. The woman had barricaded herself in her room.

Duo tossed another pair of grenades down the hall. Screams were cut short by the explosions. The two pilots ran down the hall, ignoring the cries of the dying. When this was all over with, there would be more people to worry about than the one or two that survived the horrific blasts.

The door to the hotel room had been nearly completely destroyed by the two bombs, and it took a simple nudge to cause the remainder to fall to the ground. "Pardon our intrusion," Duo said, walking into the room. He was tired and sore, and his gunshot wound ached horribly.

Relena stood angrily. "You! You can't be in here!" she yelled at him.

Duo laughed. "The door was open," he replied calmly. He pointed to the destroyed door.

"W-what do you want?!"

"I wanted to ask you to do something before we disappeared."

"And what is that?"

"Send out an e-mail to all of the countries and colonies saying that you pardon the exiles of any and all crimes committed, and that you release all papers on the Super-Soldier Project."

"What?! I'll pardon the exiles, but the information on the SS Project has long since been destroyed! By your little rebellion no less!"

Duo sighed. "Just hurry up. We don't have much time." He walked over to the window and pulled the drapes open. He ignored the two gunshots echoing from the hall. The pain-filled screams abruptly stopped.

----------

Quatre heard people gasp and point up to the third floor. He paled when he saw Duo standing in Relena's room. Quatre could see that something was wrong. Duo was extremely pale and seemed to be breathing rather hard. The brunette stared down at the crowd. He turned suddenly, and Wufei walked up to the window, covered in blood. The two spoke quickly before they both walked away from the window. The drape drifted shut.

----------

"There! I'm done! Now leave me alone!" Relena yelled at the pair.

Duo sat down on the couch. "You should probably get out of here, Relena, before time runs out." He pulled out a small timed bomb out of the recesses of his clothes. It had miraculously survived the battle through the building. The politician paled sharply. She turned and ran out the door as quickly as she could. Duo laughed quickly. He leaned back on the couch. He covered his face with one arm, but Wufei could see the lone tear fall down his face.

"We really are horribly bad friends, aren't we, Wufei?"

----------

"There she is!" the police chief yelled as Relena exited the building. "Go! Go! Go!" The two squads ran towards the building.

Before they could enter the building, the second floor window exploded. A series of detonations followed. The shockwaves from the blasts knocked the police back as the building came crashing down.

----------

August 25th, AC 202

The three Gundam pilots, Milliardo, and several of the officers on the Sanctuary Alliance stood near the two empty graves. Although neither body had been recovered from the ruins of the hotel, it felt appropriate to give Duo and Wufei a proper burial. The empty caskets were lowered into the twin graves, and dirt was shoveled in on top of them.

Trowa held Quatre close as he led the small blonde away from the graves. Heero stood over the graves and waited until everyone else left. He knelt down to Duo's gravestone touch it. The stone was cold under his fingers. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it? To make me care for you and then leave me here alone?" he asked the marker.

----------

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

_Click!_

"You've reached Heero Yuy's telephone. Leave your name and number and a brief message at the tone," Heero's voice echoed through the empty house.

_Beep!_

"Hey, Heero, how have you been lately?" Duo's cheerful voice said from the machine. "Sorry I missed you, but I can't talk very long. You know, busy busy! My number is -." The message was cut off.


End file.
